


Day 5: Hesitancy

by thewhiitelotus



Series: Zutara Week 2020 [5]
Category: Avatar: The Last Airbender
Genre: F/M, friends giving unhelpful advice, proposal
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-30
Updated: 2020-07-30
Packaged: 2021-03-05 21:20:33
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,493
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25611973
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/thewhiitelotus/pseuds/thewhiitelotus
Summary: Zuko struggles to find a way to propose to Katara, and resort to asking his friends for help.
Relationships: Katara/Zuko (Avatar)
Series: Zutara Week 2020 [5]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1849882
Comments: 1
Kudos: 57





	Day 5: Hesitancy

  
  


The pendant burns a hole in his pocket.

Not literally, but the tailors are getting upset at how worn down the right pockets in his robes are becoming (“The Fire Lord can’t wear fabrics that are pilling, even on the inside!”). But what is he supposed to do? He can’t find the right moment to bring it out, to show Katara the amethyst disc that he spent months carving, to tie the white satin band around her delicate neck and see the symbol of their love nestled in the hollow of her throat. Any time he works up the courage something gets in the way, whether it be an emergency meeting, an unexpected guest, or the seemingly endless mounds of paperwork on his mahogany desk that need to be addressed. And even when they're alone, when the right moment is staring him in the face with wide, unblinking eyes, he hesitates.

So this is how he ends up in this position; on his way to see his uncle for tea in the garden, to ask for his advice about how he should propose to Katara. The midday sun is bright, throwing rays through the lush foliage of the garden and illuminating the patio his uncle currently occupies.

“Nephew!” His uncle stands to give him a hug, as if he didn’t just see Zuko yesterday at dinner. “I’ve brewed your favorite; a calming lavender chamomile blend.”

“Thank you, uncle.” He sits in the wrought iron chair, the plush cushion a shimmering gold underneath him.

“Now...” Iroh sips at his tea, the delicate ornate teacup resting just below his lips. “What did you want to talk to me about?” 

Zuko sighs, grateful that his uncle brewed a calming blend for their meeting. “I need your advice.” He pulls the necklace out of his pocket, the smooth satin ribbon falling from his hand like rivulets of water. “I want to propose to Katara, but I don’t know how. I need to find the right moment but I just… can’t.” 

His uncle has a twinkle in his amber eyes, the one he had always gotten when he was trying to set Zuko and Katara up in the first place.

“Well, nephew, the best teas are those that are brewed with patience and grace.” 

Zuko groans at his uncle’s proverb as the old man sips his steaming tea.

“Uncle,” he pinches the bridge of his nose between his thumb and forefinger, “in english, please?”

“Zuko, you will know when the time is right.” Iroh gives Zuko a warm smile. “Be patient.”

_ Well that doesn’t help me at all.  _ Zuko had finished the carving on the pendant a month ago, and he doesn’t want to wait any longer to give it to Katara. He’s been waiting to have her like this, to ask her to be his, for the last two years, and it’s been a painful few months of keeping his proposal from her. He knows that she knows that he’s hiding something, and he hates lying to her and telling her that it’s nothing. He needs to propose, and it needs to be soon, otherwise he might lose his mind.

Xx

“Oh, that’s easy.” Sokka speaks around his food, as usual. Zuko had invited him and Suki to the palace to catch up, and also to get their opinions on how he should propose. “Just take her to the beach. You know, waterbender, the ocean...” he makes a vague gesture with his hand, dumpling still clutched in his chopsticks.

“That’s so cliche.” Suki whaps Sokka on the shoulder lightly, and he lowers his hand so that his dumpling doesn’t fly off onto the floor. “You need to do something unique. Something romantic.”

“Okay, but like what?” He’s not getting any helpful information from the couple, and he’s ready to just give up on the conversation entirely.

“You gotta find something that’ll mean a lot to her. You know her best.” Sokka shrugs, and Suki nods along with his words. “Just think about it.”  _ He says that as if I haven’t been thinking about it for the past three months. _

“Sure.” Zuko picks up his own dumpling and dips it in his favorite spicy sauce. “I’ll just think about it.”

Xx

“I know!” He and Aang are sparring in the royal training grounds, the Avatar restricted to just his firebending for the match. “Take her for a ride on Appa at sunset!”

“I mean—” he hinges backwards from his hips, avoiding Aang’s plume of flame. “That sounds nice, but it doesn’t really sound… special. You know?”

“Yeah...” Aang spins out of the reach of Zuko’s attack, using his momentum to jump up into a spinning kick and shoot fire out of his heel at Zuko. “I guess you’re right.”

“Just do it at dinner,” Toph pipes up from her place on the sidelines, her voice a little louder to raise over the sound of their bending.

“Toph, that’s like,” Aang rolls his eyes, “the least special way to propose.”

“I’d be fine with it.” 

Zuko can hear the shrug in the little earthbender’s voice as he punches consecutive flames at Aang, who continues to duck and spin around his attacks.

“Yeah, but you’re you, and Katara is Katara.” He motions to Aang to end their session, and they bow to each other before approaching Toph. “I guess I’ll just have to think of something on my own.”

“You’ll think of something Zuko.” Aang puts a comforting hand on Zuko’s sweaty shoulder, his smile a bright star on his face. “I know you will.”

Xx

The moon is perched high in the sky, full and bright among the stars. He and Katara had taken a short trip to Ember Island to relax; just a few days away from the council and the paperwork and the general hubbub of the palace. They sit on the porch of his family’s beach house, the same one they had come to years ago during the war. Since then, Zuko has been back a handful of times, and there is now a large, deep red hammock on the front porch, which happens to be his and Katara’s favorite spot. She‘s curled into his side, tucked into the crook of his arm, the curvature of the hammock angling her to lean almost on top of him. Stars fall from the sky periodically, the rare phenomenon lighting up the night in brilliant streaks, trails of light blazing behind each star as it falls from grace.

“Oh...” Katara’s voice is nothing but a sigh as a particularly large star flies above them, it’s long, bright tail splitting the sky in two. “This is so nice. Some time away from all the chaos, a romantic evening under the stars.” She turns to look at him, the heavens reflecting in her eyes, bouncing back to him brighter than they have ever been. Her smile is soft and serene, just for him, and he knows that this is his moment.

“Close your eyes.” His lips brush her ear as he speaks, his voice quiet but steady despite his nerves.

“What, and miss the shooting stars?” There’s a smile in her voice, and her eyes close in contradiction to her words. He reaches into his pocket, his heart thumping against his ribs so strongly that he’s sure she can feel it.

“Okay, open them.” 

Her dark lashes rise off of her smooth cheeks as she opens her eyes. He has the amethyst pendant in his hand with the carving facing up, and he prays that she can’t see his hand shaking. 

“Will you marry me?”

Her blue eyes are wide as saucers as she stares at the necklace, her mouth open the tiniest bit and her chest unmoving as she loses her breath. 

“Zuko...” she breathes out his name, the sound a symphony in his ears, more beautiful than any shooting star. Her hand comes up, her slender fingers just barely brushing the stone that he had spent months carving for her. She turns her head to look at him, blue eyes wet with unshed tears and a smile spreading on her face. “Of course I will.”

Before he can even breathe out his sigh of relief, she’s kissing him, sugar sweet and soft as silk. They break apart, resting their foreheads together, sharing the air between them as the stars fall above.

“Can I?” She nods as she removes her mother’s necklace, and he moves to tie her own betrothal necklace around Katara’s neck, the stone sitting just right on her throat. She brings her hand up to touch it, just like she had always done with her mother’s. “I hope it’s okay. I messed up so many pieces before I got the carving right.” A flashback of his desk covered in amethyst shards plays in his mind.

“It’s perfect.” She leans up to kiss him again, the stars forgotten in the sky as they lose themselves in each other.

**Author's Note:**

> i banged this out super quick literally last night so forgive me if it's terrible. thanks for reading! ❤


End file.
